By [email protected]
Freetown, 29th December, 2025 – A dispute has emerged between the Local Government Service Commission and the Freetown City Council over the planned transfer of the Council’s Finance Officer at the end of December, with Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr warning that the move could destabilize critical year-end financial operations.
The Commission had earlier directed the Finance Officer to hand over his duties to the incoming Pujehun District Finance Officer by December 30, 2025, warning that failure to comply would result in a three-month suspension without pay. The directive followed reports that the officer had failed to hand over as agreed earlier in the month.
However, in response, the Mayor expressed “deep concern about the timing of this transfer,” stressing that the year-end period is crucial for the Council’s financial management. “Replacing the head of the finance function on December 30 will serve to destabilize and undermine the financial operations of the institution,” she cautioned.
The Mayor highlighted several ongoing processes that would be disrupted by the transfer, including: uploading of the 2026 budget onto the PFM Smart system, currently being piloted at Freetown City Council by the Ministry of Finance.
Reconciliation of PFM Smart expenditure across bank accounts with FCC cash books, reconciliation of MOPTAX (the digital property rate system) and enforcement revenues with bank statements and preparation of the 2025 financial statements for submission to Audit Services Sierra Leone.
She noted that the Finance Officer is the only one in the country with extensive training and hands-on experience in the PFM Smart system, as well as oversight of the unique MOPTAX platform. “The year-end reconciliations process for MOPTAX is an incredibly important financial activity which is overseen by the Finance Officer,” she explained.
According to the Mayor, transferring the officer at this stage would “most definitely result in major operational delays and an increased likelihood of significant errors being made.” She argued that, given the complexity of the FCC’s financial functions, any new officer would face a steep learning curve, making it more appropriate for the transfer to occur at a quieter time in the financial calendar.
“In the interest of the smooth functioning of the financial operations of Freetown City Council, I am requesting that this transfer be put on hold so that the Finance Officer can complete the year-end processes,” she appealed.
The Local Government Service Commission has yet to respond publicly to the Mayor’s concerns.
